Tang Di
Refined Yuan landscapes blending Li-Guo styles
Tang Di(唐棣) (1296-1364), courtesy name Zihua(子华), art name Dunzhai(遁斋), originally from Qiantang (now Hangzhou) and later moved to Gui'an (now Huzhou), was a painter during the Yuan dynasty. He was a student of Zhao Mengfu and Guo Xi, specialized in landscape painting, and combined the techniques of Li Cheng and Guo Xi. He was known for a style that was both fresh and refined. Some of his surviving works include 'Gathering for Wine Under the Trees' and 'Returning Fishers at Frosty Banks', which are now held in the Shanghai Museum, the National Palace Museum in Taipei, and other institutions. As a child, he was known as a 'prodigy' and was recognized by Zhao Mengfu, who took him on as a student. During the Yanyou period, he followed Minister of Punishments Ma Xu to the capital and painted a screen for the Jiaxi Hall, earning praise from Emperor Renzong of Yuan and being appointed to the Jixian Academy. In the second year of the Tianli era, he was tasked with painting murals at Longxiang Temple in Nanjing, and in the fourth year of the Zhishun era, he went back to the court in Dadu to paint again. He held various official positions in places like Chenzhou, Jiangyin, and Jiaxing, and retired to his hometown later in life to focus on poetry and painting. His landscape paintings mainly followed the Li and Guo school techniques. He was also skilled in poetry and prose, publishing collections such as 'Tang Zihua's Poetry Collection', with some poems preserved in 'Caotang Elegance Collection'.